This is my bike....

foxtrapper wrote: I've yet to encounter a front brake that had the magical abilities to throw a motorcycle to the ground simply because you use it. ~~~ That has nothing to do with the front brake itself, and everything to do with inertia and gravity.

Well, pretty much everything has to do with inertia and gravity or we would be flying the damn things around in space.

No, there is no magical property that throws the bike down. It's more of the lack of an appropriate application of the thing and at 1mph when you really don't need to touch it at all.

Just like when I'm teaching new students to drive a car on a race track we brake in a straight line at the beginning. Do I do that? berkeley no... I brake when I need to. But would I advise you to try it on your first day? Probably not. When I was learning to ride that was how I dropped my first bike. 2mph diddling around a tight corner and panicked, grabbed the lever and down it went. I watched my son do it learning to ride his bicycle. I suspect this is why little kiddie bikes have coaster brakes and no front. In any case - it isn't a platitude.

It wasn't immediately obvious to me that you can drag the rear and use the throttle to smooth out the drive lash that makes it "uncomfortable" to go really slow leaned over in tight quarters so I thought I'd share.

octavious wrote: GPS- That is exactly one of the exercises I was working on yesterday. It was one of the drills I remember from my MSF. The number of spaces to do it in helps. I will be working on that some more. And I'm going to call him out, but Nick_Comstock let me borrow his copy of Proficient Motorcycling. It is a lot of what was covered in the MSF, but at my own reading pace and not a cram it down your throat, mass overload, system abort, pace... There is some very good stuff in there for a newb like m.

I took the MSF so long ago (1984?) that I'm not even sure it was MSF or just some state run thing to get an insurance break. The guy that wrote that book was an MSF instructor and editor for one of the big bike mags so it makes sense that it's the same material.

In any case, I found it helpful to re-read it and since I'm coming off the bench from a few years of not riding regularly I'm going thru the same exercises to "tune up". It turns out I'm not nearly as accomplished a rider as my memory serves. I think riding skills atrophy pretty damn quickly. I rode home in the pouring rain and pitch black last night and was less relaxing than it really should have been

Have any of you fabbed up a rear rack for a bike? I'd like one to put a hard case or pelican box on. I found one online for $150, but I figure I can make one for less than that.

I will get some pics of the bolts on the tail of my bike tonight and post them up.

In reply to octavious:

Like for a top case or just a flat rack for items with a bungie strap? On my old VFR I bought one of these spider web bungee things and just strapped a back pack to the passenger pillion. It worked for most things I needed to bring along.

The new bike has panniers and a really slick rack on it so I don't really need to fab stuff there either.

No for like a bracket and a top case. I'm not going all Givi and adventure explorer wannabe here. I'd just like a place to stick my lunch and rain gear on the way to work, and big enough to keep my helmet in when I am at the office.

The interwebs told me Kawi made one for the euro version of my bike, but I haven't been able to find anything official on the Kawi side. I found two aftermarket ones for $150+.

octavious wrote: No for like a bracket and a top case. I'm not going all Givi and adventure explorer wannabe here. I'd just like a place to stick my lunch and rain gear on the way to work, and big enough to keep my helmet in when I am at the office. The interwebs told me Kawi made one for the euro version of my bike, but I haven't been able to find anything official on the Kawi side. I found two aftermarket ones for $150+.

An old weatherproof roadie/amp case + some home made bracketry would look cool and be really functional. Scour the ebay/CL world for equipment cases, toolboxes (the kind traveling service guys take on airplanes) and stuff you pack camera lenses in.

GSP- Do you know how big of one I would need to fit my full face helmet in? And is it called an "amp case"?

I'd rather go this route where I can add in extra brake lights, then pony up the dough for a Givi. Not only do I think they are expensive, but I don't like the look of them that much. They look like they belong on a scooter.

octavious wrote: GSP- Do you know how big of one I would need to fit my full face helmet in? And is it called an "amp case"? I'd rather go this route where I can add in extra brake lights, then pony up the dough for a Givi. Not only do I think they are expensive, but I don't like the look of them that much. They look like they belong on a scooter.

The top one is a Jensen composite toolbox. I have one just like that one I used to use when I traveled to repair things that would hold my helmet if I removed all the tool placards. It's waterproof, light and very strong. It is in my trailer at the moment (stored elsewhere) or I'd go get you some measurements.

Amp cases come in all kinds of sizes - they are very sturdy but a bit heavy. If you can find a composite one or a toolbox like above I think you will upset the handling less with the static weight.

octavious wrote: ...I'm not going all Givi and adventure explorer wannabe here. I'd just like a place to stick my lunch and rain gear on the way to work, and big enough to keep my helmet in when I am at the office.

Have you considered an expandable magnetic tank bag? Should handle your lunch while you are riding and your helmet once you stop, provided your parking area is secure (no way to lock).

Thanks Dave. My parking is secure, but I don't really want anything on the tank.

In true GRM spirit I'm thinking of using the 4 bolts on the rear tail section right underneath the passenger seat. The chances of me having a passener are slim and none. I might have an idea for a case, from some junk I have at the house, but I'm worried it may be too wide for the back of the bike, and not deep enough for the helmet.

In reply to octavious:

You could always pretend you bought a KLR and just strap one of these on the back.

Ha. Trying not to go quite that ghetto, but the thought did cross my mind...

I'd go with a Pelican case or similar. Get something big enough to hold your helmet and some kind of cable lock + some other stuff. I have a large Givi topcase on my VFR and it helps make the bike every-day usable. I can throw a bunch of groceries in the thing, or gym gear, etc.

Honestly though I'd just get a commercial mount that allows you to use the quick-release mechanism that a lot of the Givi boxes have. Removing the box entirely without need of any tools is really nice, even if it's every once in a while. You might also find that having a case mounted where there should be a passenger makes it more tricky to throw a leg over and actually get on the bike. If you do want to make it your own deal keep that in mind when you place the box.

pres589, good point. I hadn't thought about mounting the bike.

I updated my gear list a little.

I just ordered Icon Brawnson overpants and AGV gloves. Plus I found the model boot I am wearing and listed it, Danner Acadia.

Well I finally just broke down and bought the Givi rear top case. Cheapest I found it was for $85. It is big enough to hold my full face helmet, my rain liner for my coat, and an extra pair of gloves while at the office. I put my lunch and everything in it to go to work, and then put my helmet in when I get to the office.

It came with reflective panels that didn't reflect crap. In the first pic, I had added just some red reflective stripes but that wasn't enough. (funny you can see my jacket refelcting in this first pic, and the plate from my car)

In the second pic you can see where I took the Givi panel off of it and replaced the crappy factory reflective stuff with the same reflective tape I tried on the sides. I also added a extra silver strip under the license plate. I'm not a photographer so these pics suck, but you can see the difference $3 worth of reflective tape makes.

Those are good utility but... don't leave it on for photographs

A little Sir Mix-A-Lot sums it up.

Oh, my, god. Becky, look at her butt.
It is so big. [scoff]
She looks like one of those rap guys' girlfriends.
But, you know, who understands those rap guys? [scoff]
They only talk to her, because, she looks like a total prostitute, 'kay?
I mean, her butt, is just so big.
I can't believe it's just so round, it's like, out there, I mean— gross. Look!
She's just so... black!

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: I've yet to encounter a front brake that had the magical abilities to throw a motorcycle to the ground simply because you use it. ~~~ That has nothing to do with the front brake itself, and everything to do with inertia and gravity.

Well, pretty much everything has to do with inertia and gravity or we would be flying the damn things around in space. No, there is no magical property that throws the bike down. It's more of the lack of an appropriate application of the thing and at 1mph when you really don't need to touch it at all. Just like when I'm teaching new students to drive a car on a race track we brake in a straight line at the beginning. Do I do that? berkeley no... I brake when I need to. But would I advise you to try it on your first day? Probably not. When I was learning to ride that was how I dropped my first bike. 2mph diddling around a tight corner and panicked, grabbed the lever and down it went. I watched my son do it learning to ride his bicycle. I suspect this is why little kiddie bikes have coaster brakes and no front. In any case - it isn't a platitude. It wasn't immediately obvious to me that you can drag the rear and use the throttle to smooth out the drive lash that makes it "uncomfortable" to go really slow leaned over in tight quarters so I thought I'd share.

And if you're going fast enough around a corner, application of the brake usually brings you back up out of the lean. Unless you're a hamfisted moron and lock the front brake and wash it out.